50 Cent biography

In 1957 Burt collaborated for the first time with lyricist Hal David whom he met while both worked at the Famous Paramount Music company in New York's legendary Brill Building. "We worked in a smoke-filled room," remembers Burt. "No view, a window that didn't open and a beat-up piano." The pair hit it off immediately and struck gold with The Story Of My Life, a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957 and Magic Moments, a single for Perry Como in 1958. Burt also scored a novelty hit with (Theme From) The Blob in 1958. But the pair didn't work regularly together until 1962. Until then Burt completed his pop education, working extensively with soul group The Drifters and touring Europe as musical director for Marlene Dietrich. It was at a Drifters session that Bacharach met back-up singer Dionne Warwick. Warwick possessed an innate understanding of Bacharach's difficult tempos and time signatures and she became the Bacharach & David's creative vehicle. Don't Make Me Over was Warwick's first hit with the songwriting duo in 1962. The pair would go on to write and produce more than twenty Top 40 hits for Warwick who by 1970 had sold 15m records of their songs. Hits included Anyone Who Had a Heart (1963), Walk On By (1964), and Do You Know The Way To San Jose (1968). Warwick provided the light, lithe voice, David the literate, witty lyrics and Bacharach the imaginative melodies, unusual arrangments and complex rhythms. Besides their work with Warwick, Bacharach and David also wrote and produced hits for Jackie DeShannon (What The World Needs Now), Dusty Springfield (The Look Of Love) and Jack Jones (Wives and Lovers).

Through his wife, screen star Angie Dickinson (whom he married in 1966 and divorced in 1980), Bacharach moved into film soundtracks. Together with Hal David Bacharach scored the soundtrack to the 1965 Peter Sellers film What's New Pussycat, the title song of which was a hit for Tom Jones. Other hits followed with the title song from the Michael Caine flick Alfie in 1967, sung by Cilla Black and the Look Of Love from 1967 flick Casino Royale, sung by Dusty Springfield. The pair finally won an Oscar for Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. In the same year they wrote the long-running Broadway musical Promises Promises which included the Dionne Warwick hit, I'll Never Fall In Love Again. Then in 1973, following the disastrous reception of the musical remake of 1937 flick Lost Horizon, Bacharach and David quarrelled and parted amid a flurry of lawsuits.

In the 70s Bacharach regularly appeared in TV spectaculars constructed around his songs and in concert. He also made a series of albums on A&M offering his own interpretations of his songs including Living Together (1972) and Woman (1979). But these tended to be bland versions of his songs for other artists, often sung poorly by Bacharach. In 1981 Bacharach had his first hit for several years with the Oscar-winning song, Arthur's Theme, taken from the Dudley Moore flick Arthur and sung by Christopher Cross. The song was written by Carole Bayer Sager who Bacharach married in 1982. The couple began collaborating more and in 1986 wrote two US chart toppers. AIDS charity single That's What's Friends Are For (which reunited Bacharach with Dionne Warwick) and On My Own by Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald.

In 1993 Bacharach re-emerged from a quiet period in his career with a number of new projects, notably a reunion with Hal David and Dionne Warwick on the song Sunny Weather Lover. Bacharach had also undergone a resurgence in popularty with the likes of Oasis paying homage in interviews. (Bacharach's picture features on the cover of Oasis' Definitely Maybe album and in 1996 Noel Gallagher joined Burt on stage to croon This Guy's In Love With You). His iconic status was cemented with an ideally suited cameo appearance in Mike Myers' spy spoof Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery in 1997. Groovy baby!

In 1998 Bacharach proved his talents hadn't diminished when he teamed up with Elvis Costello for the Grammy nominated Painted From Memory album. The pair also collaborated on a version of I'll Never Fall In Love Again for the soundtrack to the Austin Powers sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me, where they also made a cameo appearance. In 2002 Bacharach appeared for the third time in an Austin Powers movie, Goldmember.

In May 2003 The Look Of Love, a musical built around the songs of Bacharach & David opened, fittingly on Broadway bringing their music back to the Big Apple after 30 years. Now, like most 78 year olds, Burt has been to see the doctor. He has been working on a series of collaborations with Dr. Dre for a new album. The rap godfather sent Burt a series of drum beats and samples to work with. "They're like compositions, which is very interesting to me," says Burt. Working title - A House Is Not A Homie anyone?

• Discography